Lately, Liverpool FC have always felt at home in Porto. But before this year’s Champions League trip, Jürgen Klopp rearranged the training schedule to be on the safe side.
Jürgen Klopp still remembers his last away trips to Porto, that is. But how it will help his side in any way ahead of the upcoming one on Tuesday (9pm, LIVE! on kicker) that they won 5-0 in 2018 and 4-1 in 2019 at the Estadio do Dragao is a mystery to the Liverpool FC coach.
“It’s not an advantage at all that we won the last two games there, absolutely not,” Klopp said on Monday. Rather, he said, it was “another reason for Porto to be motivated. It doesn’t make our task any easier.” Sure, “I’m still happy that we won then”. But is that why the Reds are travelling to this year’s Champions League game with particularly good feelings? “No,” Klopp waved it off. “It doesn’t make sense. “
“Even if we trained at Boavista, the information would find its way out “
He is preparing his eleven, who failed to go beyond a 3-3 draw at promoted Brentford on Saturday, for a “top team” that “qualifies for the Champions League every year” rather than “a team we beat once”. Klopp, however, has specially adapted the preparation timetable this time around.
“We don’t have much time,” he said. “Yesterday regeneration, today regeneration, and tomorrow we can’t really train there because all the people in Porto are still Portuguese. Even if we trained at Boavista or wherever, the information would find its way out. So we had to do everything in a light version today.” So for fear of spies, Mo Salah & Co. were still getting their Porto fine-tuning in Liverpool.
“Wiggle room” at Porto? Klopp wants nothing to do with it
Because he won his opening game 3-2 against Milan and Atletico and Porto drew goalless, the 2019 Champions League winners could already give themselves a bit of a cushion in Group B with another win in Porto – a bit of wiggle room, as one reporter put it, “wiggle room” so to speak.
“I don’t know the word,” Klopp admitted, but no matter, he is just as unfamiliar with such a situation: “Counting on points you don’t even have yet – I’ve never done that and never understood it. I don’t even know how to do that.” Incidentally, in Porto’s 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid, the Portuguese were the ones who deserved to win, he said. “That says everything about Porto. “
With Thiago and Harvey Elliott injured, Klopp will only have to replace two players on Tuesday, although he hinted that one or two of those recently stricken would miss out in favour of a Liverpool training session. “Hopefully it will stay like that,” Klopp said of the pleasant personnel situation, which had been completely different not so long ago.
Klopp expands team council – trio new members
Because the Reds had to deal with massive injury problems for months in pre-season, Klopp has even changed the team council. Instead of four players, it now consists of six. While Georginio Wijnaldum moved to PSG, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Roberto Firmino and Alisson were newly elected to the panel, which still includes captain Jordan Henderson, vice James Milner as well as Virgil van Dijk.
“Sometimes last year we didn’t have anyone from the team council on the pitch because of all the injuries,” Klopp explained. “That’s why I decided to expand the group to six.” For a bit more wiggle room in this section.
